Did Andrew Mitchell have a rubber stamp?

Sir, I did enjoy Kiran Stacey’s review of the new Yes, Prime Minister (The Review, Business Life, January 17). I confess to being more of a The Thick of It man myself. Which is, perhaps, why I raised my eyebrows at the claim that civil servants at the Department for International Development under Andrew Mitchell were surprised to see policy briefing notes that failed to meet his standards returned to them with the word “bollocks” stamped on the front.

We would indeed have been surprised, and more, at that. Andrew had the stamp and visiting journalists, especially, were much intrigued by it. But he never used it.